Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) is recognized every October. JCADA created Purple Shabbat as an opportunity to raise awareness about intimate partner violence in the Jewish community, to let the community know that JCADA is here to help, and to reinforce that our Jewish communities are safe spaces. By recognizing DVAM and Purple Shabbat, we hope to shine a light on this dark topic.
Together we can help make a real difference for victims and survivors in our spaces.
A reflection on this week’s Parashah (Torah portion) as it relates to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV):
Lech Lecha and IPV (October 28, 2023)
Parshat Lech Lecha tells us the story of Avram and his wife Sarai, who was unable to conceive. We read how after Hagar, Sarai’s maidservant, became pregnant from Avram, Sarai treated her harshly. The story continues that Hagar ran away, where she was met with a messenger from God, who instructed Hagar to “shuvi v’hitani” “go back and submit.” Research tells us that survivors of intimate partner violence leave and return to their abusive partner, on average 7 times before leaving for good. It is common that for the one in four (1 in 4) women and one in seven (1 in 7 men) that are victims of intimate partner violence, they will hear phrases similar to that of Hagar, encouraging them to return, to try harder, to work it out. However, survivors deserve to be safe, respected, and supported. This is one of the reasons why Purple Shabbat exists: to raise awareness and to give us the strength to address abuse within Jewish communities. Supporting survivors with a holistic approach means meeting a survivor where they are at, and helping them to “lech lecha” “go forth” in their journey to safety.
